Additional info:While going through the certificate templates in MOC 2273 virtual machine, I discovered that the DRA template is valid for 5 years. So the debate continues as to how long these certificates are valid. I welcome any additional information on this one. The important part of this post is the link on how to fix it.

Sunday, April 26, 2009

The Check Disk tool is the only tool provided for examining the health of your hard disks in Windows. The only indication that you would get that there is a problem is in Disk Management. The drive with an error will be indicated by an error icon on the drive. At this point, it is most likely that the drive has already gone into failure.

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

As a road warrior, I need to spend time away from home. My wife is a professional also and works during the days. That means our pooch is home alone. When this time at home goes for more than 8 hours, we need somebody to take care of the little guy. We have tried several services in the past but trust was always an issue. It is important not to have to worry about your pets while you are away. Fortunately, we found excellent care, training, and boarding services with the Indiana Dog Trainer (http://midwestdogtrainer.com/). You can tell when your pooch is happy by the way they respond to their care takers. Our Tucker is a very timid dog. He has no fears when Tim or Daniel is taking care of him. We were very fortunate to find them.

Do yourself, and your pet, a favor and find good care for your pets while you are away. My recommendation is Indian Dog Trainers for any Road Warriors located in the north east Indianapolis area.

Sunday, April 19, 2009

Occasionally, I like to jump in on MCPMAG.COM forums and try to help my future colleges out. Here is a post I looked into:

I have an Associate's degree from a two year community college and I want to get an entry-level job doing help desk or tech support, etc. and then eventually move into network administration. There is a one-year program at the local community college which supposedly prepares students for exactly this, but it doesn't start until next fall (six months from now). My question is, can I realistically prepare for the certifications on my own? And, if I manage to do so, will my AA degree in conjunction with the certs be good enough to get a job of some kind? Any insight would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

My Responce:

iflyboats,

Its good to hear that you are developing a plan. 9 out of 10 people never bother making long term plans. That might explain why most people are not millionaires. You can get into the technology field with and AA and certs. Like any industry, that first job will be the toughest one to get. I have a good friend in the US Navy. Several years ago, he completed his BS in Computer Science and is also an MCSE on Server 2003. He was recalled to active duty and spent a year in Kuwait. I emailed him a few months ago and found him back in Kuwait. His reason was the job market in his area was too bad for him to get that first job.

Moral of the story, be ready for a tough fight.

Certifications can set you apart from the crowd. Many people are retooling for IT in the wake of this recession. Certifications can help make you stand out. If you have the time and resources, I would highly recommend taking an instructor led course. You can prepare for the exams without setting foot in a classroom, but will you be prepared to actually execute your duties once on the job? Instructors can provide a greater insight into the actual products and give you guidance and experience that you will not get from Barnes and Noble or Amazon.com.

Below is a link to Microsoft's Virtual labs. This is another way to get your hands on the product and practice your future trade.

Finally, you might want to check into your schools computer center for any open student positions. This is how I got my start in IT. The director took me under his wing and got me going on my career. Even though I did not graduate with honors, those who did had to wait for me to turn down job offers before the jobs were offered to them. The difference, I had experience before leaving college. Look into it. By the way, about 40% of my students do not have a college degree. You can do it.

Jason, MCTI hightly encourage others out there to mentor people when you get the chance. Your years of wisdom can help save someone years of mistakes.

Sunday, April 12, 2009

Part of being an MCT is the constant travel and long hours of preparation. Our clients demand nothing but the best, and we deliver. Don't forget about yourself. A few weekends ago, I was flying home from Chicago O'Hare. I was very early and went to the USO to get some study time. Well, I also needed to get moving so I went for a hike at the airport. Now, I'm sure my fellow outdoor enthusiasts out there just shuttered at the though of hiking at O'Hare airport. Well, let's take a look at the advantages here.

1) We all need exercise. O'Hare provides a lot of climate controlled ground to cover. I mapped out a walk on Google Earth to do one lap through all the concourses. It is 4.75 miles. That is a good hike.2) Food: Yes, I said food. O'Hare has temptations around every corner. I noticed that many of the vendors also offer fresh fruit and my favorite fruit smoothie, Naked Fruit. Yes, it is expense, but you can eat healthy.3) Solitude: OK, now you are thinking that I'm crazy. Roaming the concourses during the spring break rush is like trying to shoot a ball through a pin ball machine. You get bumped no matter which direction you go. Try this. Go to the United Airlines terminal. Take their underground walkway to concourse C. United decorated this walkway some years ago. It has a crowded people mover right down the middle, and hardly a sole walking along the sides. One round trip is .3 of a mile and if you are felling bold, there are stairs at each end.

Staying in shape can be a challenge for us, but with a little creativity, you will be looking good in front of your class.

Sunday, April 5, 2009

There is no GUI or command line to perform this task. Microsoft recommends resetting the passwords that are cached at the hub site. The old passwords will still be authenticated at the local site, but will not be able to access network resources. Once replication occurs, the password is set to null until the user successfully logs in with the new password.